Founding of the USA MCQs [USA – America] January 8, 2026August 20, 2024 by u930973931_answers 50 min Score: 0 Attempted: 0/50 Subscribe 1. Who is often referred to as the “Father of the Constitution”? (A) Thomas Jefferson (B) James Madison (C) George Washington (D) Benjamin Franklin 2. What year was the Declaration of Independence signed? (A) 1774 (B) 1776 (C) 1775 (D) 1777 3. Who was the principal author of the Declaration of Independence? (A) John Adams (B) Benjamin Franklin (C) John Jay (D) Thomas Jefferson 4. Which event marked the official end of the American Revolutionary War? (A) The Battle of Yorktown (B) The Treaty of Paris 1783 (C) The Siege of Boston (D) The Battle of Saratoga 5. What was the first governing document of the United States? (A) The Articles of Confederation (B) The Constitution (C) The Declaration of Independence (D) The Bill of Rights 6. Which meeting led to the drafting of the U.S. Constitution? (A) The Continental Congress (B) The Annapolis Convention (C) The Philadelphia Convention (D) The Constitutional Convention 7. What was the purpose of the Federalist Papers? (A) To promote the ratification of the Constitution (B) To declare independence from Britain (C) To outline the Articles of Confederation (D) To propose amendments to the Constitution 8. Who were the authors of the Federalist Papers? (A) Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and John Adams (B) Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay (C) George Washington, John Hancock, and Samuel Adams (D) Patrick Henry, James Monroe, and Thomas Paine 9. What document established the first national government of the United States? (A) The Constitution (B) The Declaration of Independence (C) The Articles of Confederation (D) The Bill of Rights 10. Who was the first President of the United States under the Constitution? (A) Thomas Jefferson (B) John Adams (C) George Washington (D) James Madison 11. Which state was the first to ratify the Constitution? (A) New York (B) Delaware (C) Virginia (D) Pennsylvania 12. What was the main reason for convening the Constitutional Convention of 1787? (A) To draft the Declaration of Independence (B) To negotiate the Treaty of Paris (C) To draft the Bill of Rights (D) To address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation 13. Who was the President of the Constitutional Convention? (A) Thomas Jefferson (B) George Washington (C) James Madison (D) Benjamin Franklin 14. What was the main focus of the Great Compromise? (A) Representation in Congress (B) The issue of slavery (C) State vs. federal power (D) The electoral process 15. What was the three-fifths compromise related to? (A) Slavery (B) Representation in Congress (C) Taxation (D) Trade 16. What is the Bill of Rights? (A) The first ten amendments to the Constitution (B) The original articles of the Constitution (C) The preamble to the Constitution (D) The Federalist Papers 17. Which amendment abolished slavery? (A) 14th Amendment (B) 13th Amendment (C) 15th Amendment (D) 19th Amendment 18. Who was the primary author of the Bill of Rights? (A) John Jay (B) George Washington (C) Alexander Hamilton (D) James Madison 19. Which of the following was NOT a Founding Father of the United States? (A) Abraham Lincoln (B) Alexander Hamilton (C) John Adams (D) Benjamin Franklin 20. What was the main issue with the Articles of Confederation? (A) Too much power to the federal government (B) Lack of a national court system (C) Lack of a standing army (D) Inequality among states 21. What was the purpose of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787? (A) To establish a national bank (B) To regulate trade with Native American tribes (C) To outline the powers of Congress (D) To establish a system for admitting new states 22. What was the main focus of the Virginia Plan? (A) The establishment of a national bank (B) Equal representation for all states (C) The abolition of slavery (D) State representation based on population 23. What was the primary purpose of the Continental Congress? (A) To draft the Constitution (B) To manage the American Revolutionary War efforts (C) To draft the Declaration of Independence (D) To establish the federal judiciary 24. Which document formally ended the American Revolutionary War? (A) The Articles of Confederation (B) The Treaty of Ghent (C) The Treaty of Paris 1783 (D) The Constitution 25. Which colony was the first to declare independence from Britain? (A) Virginia (B) South Carolina (C) New York (D) Massachusetts 26. Who was the Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War? (A) Thomas Jefferson (B) Benjamin Franklin (C) George Washington (D) John Adams 27. What was the main issue with the Articles of Confederation in terms of governance? (A) It allowed for a strong executive branch (B) It provided for a strong central government (C) It created a weak central government (D) It eliminated state governments 28. What event is often cited as the immediate cause of the American Revolutionary War? (A) The Boston Tea Party (B) The signing of the Declaration of Independence (C) The Treaty of Paris 1783 (D) The Battle of Yorktown 29. Which state was the last to ratify the Constitution? (A) New York (B) Rhode Island (C) Virginia (D) North Carolina 30. What was the primary goal of the Federalists? (A) To support a strong central government (B) To oppose the ratification of the Constitution (C) To advocate for state sovereignty (D) To propose a new declaration of independence 31. What was the main concern of the Anti-Federalists? (A) That the Constitution gave too much power to the federal government (B) That the Constitution did not address slavery (C) That the Constitution lacked a bill of rights (D) That the Constitution did not establish a national bank 32. Who was the President of the Continental Congress during the signing of the Declaration of Independence? (A) Samuel Adams (B) Thomas Jefferson (C) Benjamin Franklin (D) John Hancock 33. Which of the following is NOT a provision of the Constitution? (A) Establishing the executive branch (B) Establishing the legislative branch (C) Establishing the judicial branch (D) Abolishing slavery 34. What role did Benjamin Franklin play in the founding of the United States? (A) Was a key diplomat in France (B) Drafted the Declaration of Independence (C) Served as the first President of the United States (D) Drafted the Bill of Rights 35. What is the significance of the Preamble to the Constitution? (A) It outlines the powers of Congress (B) It establishes the principles of the Constitution (C) It lists the rights of citizens (D) It describes the structure of the judiciary 36. What was the name of the first ten amendments to the Constitution? (A) The Federalist Papers (B) The Bill of Rights (C) The Articles of Confederation (D) The Preamble 37. Who was the first Secretary of the Treasury? (A) Thomas Jefferson (B) James Madison (C) Alexander Hamilton (D) John Adams 38. What was the main purpose of the Constitutional Convention? (A) To draft a new declaration of independence (B) To amend the Articles of Confederation (C) To elect a president (D) To draft a new constitution 39. Which amendment granted women the right to vote? (A) 15th Amendment (B) 24th Amendment (C) 19th Amendment (D) 26th Amendment 40. What was the primary purpose of the Electoral College? (A) To elect the President of the United States (B) To elect members of Congress (C) To conduct elections (D) To appoint Supreme Court justices 41. Which amendment is known as the “Prohibition Amendment”? (A) 21st Amendment (B) 19th Amendment (C) 18th Amendment (D) 22nd Amendment 42. Which clause in the Constitution grants Congress the power to create laws necessary to execute its powers? (A) The Necessary and Proper Clause (B) The Commerce Clause (C) The Supremacy Clause (D) The Establishment Clause 43. Who was the first Chief Justice of the United States? (A) John Marshall (B) William Howard Taft (C) Roger Taney (D) John Jay 44. What year was the Constitution ratified? (A) 1787 (B) 1788 (C) 1789 (D) 1790 45. What is the supreme law of the land? (A) The Constitution (B) The Articles of Confederation (C) The Declaration of Independence (D) The Bill of Rights 46. What was the significance of Marbury v. Madison? (A) It established the supremacy of state laws (B) It declared the Constitution unconstitutional (C) It resolved a dispute over election procedures (D) It established the principle of judicial review 47. What did the 14th Amendment guarantee? (A) Equal protection under the law (B) The right to vote (C) Freedom of speech (D) The right to bear arms 48. Who was the author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom? (A) James Madison (B) George Washington (C) Thomas Jefferson (D) John Adams 49. What does the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause state? (A) State laws are superior to federal laws (B) Federal laws are superior to state laws (C) The Constitution is inferior to federal laws (D) The Constitution is superior to international laws 50. Who presides over the Senate? (A) The President of the United States (B) The Secretary of State (C) The Speaker of the House (D) The Vice President of the United States